In the pizza industry, millions of pizzas are sold each year for delivery and carry-out. Most of these pizzas are packed in the same types of cartons. Nearly all of these cartons are square-shaped pizza boxes. Most of these square-shaped pizza boxes have a double-panel front wall structure comprising parallel inner and outer panels. A front corner flap panel appending from a front end of each of the side walls is enclosed between these inner and outer panels, thereby creating connected front corners on the box. Further, the inner panel of the double-panel front wall structure is held in place by having a tab at the bottom edge of the panel which fits within a slot in the bottom of the box. This slot is a relatively large opening that occasionally allows “pizza juices” collecting in the bottom of the box to drip from the box. In addition, this slot is typically created by a flip-tab structure located at the bottom edge of the outer panel. When the blank is erected into a box, this flip-tab structure opens up, thereby creating the slot. However, it also produces a tab projecting downward from the bottom edge of the outer panel. As a result, when multiple units of this box are stacked, as most pizzerias do, the outcome can be a tippy, crooked, non-level stack of boxes.
Also, many of these boxes have a cup-holder strap located within a rear corner of the box. This is created by having a strap-creating corner flap panel that appends to a rear end of one of the side walls. A result of this structure is a large, gaping opening in the side wall of the box.
Finally, the side walls of most of these boxes have a particular end-edge structure in which the fold line that connects the rear corner flap panel to a side wall is disposed vertically and also flush to a rear wall of the box, thereby requiring the use of a vertical rear wall (and preventing the use of a material-saving inward-sloping rear wall).
It would be desirable to have a pizza box that comprises a structure that affords a number of functionality-enhancing opportunities, specifically:
1) The opportunity to have a box shape other than that of the boxes of the prior art and, particularly, other than that of a square shape, while still employing only four wall panels and also having the opposing side wall panels parallel to one another;
2) The opportunity to have a cup-holder strap disposed in a front corner of the box rather than the rear corner, thereby freeing up the rear end-edge of the side walls for alternate structural configurations, if so desired;
3) The opportunity to cover up, or cover over, the opening in a wall panel created by a deployed cup-holder strap, thereby reducing heat-loss from the box;
4) The opportunity to keep the inner panel of a double-panel wall structure securely in place without having to have a large open slot in the bottom of the box or use a flip-tab structure to create the slot; and
5) The opportunity to have an inward-sloping rear wall.
My invention affords attainment of all of these opportunities.
Prior art related to my invention includes the following patents: Patton U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,329 granted May 18, 1993; Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,130 granted Nov. 10, 1998; Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,797 granted Jul. 6, 1999; Moore et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,262 granted Oct. 26, 1999; and Earl Great Britain patent 1,163,521 granted Sep. 10, 1969.
Patton, Correll '130, and various other prior art pizza boxes disclose a non-square pizza box. However, most of these boxes employ more than four wall panels for achieving the non-square shape. This can sometimes result in a floppy feel, a non-rigid structure, or a “weakened” box. Accordingly, it would be desirable to achieve a unique non-square shape by employing four walls only.
Correll '797 discloses boxes having four walls only and a non-square shape but the side walls are disposed non-parallel to one another. This can result in material waste in manufacture of the box blank. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a box of non-square shape that has four walls only and has parallel side walls.
Patton also discloses a particular type of tab engagement structure for a double-panel wall structure comprising parallel inner and outer panels. This tab engagement structure consists of a slit in the bottom panel of the box, the slit being disposed parallel to the fold line connecting the outer panel of the double-panel wall structure to the bottom panel of the box. This particular tab engagement structure eliminates having a slot in the bottom of the box. However, it fails to provide a secure engagement for the inner panel of the double-panel wall, thereby increasing the chance of the inner panel slipping out of position.
Moore et al. and Earl each disclose a box having a side wall having a flap panel attached to the end of the side wall at a fold line with the fold line being non-flush with an adjacent end wall. However, the end-edge structure of the side wall is such that it would allow fluid (e.g., “pizza juices”) within the box cavity to flow out of the corner of the box.
A national pizza chain by name of Papa John's International, Inc. has a pizza box with a cup-holder strap disposed in a corner flap panel of the box. However, this cup-holder strap is disposed in a rear corner flap panel, thereby restricting the type of end-edge structure that can be used at the rear end of the side walls. Further, the opening created in the side wall by the deployed cover panel is not covered in any way, thereby resulting in the potential for substantial loss of heat from the box.
So, there has remained a number of problems associated with prior art pizza boxes. My invention solves these problems. By doing such, the invention provides a pizza box of improved functionality and marketing potential.